Figures 1–2
Paranarthrura fortispina Sieg, 1986: 4, 5, 8, 64– 68; Bird and Holdich, 1989: 146, 153.
Material examined: one female, two males (one dissected on slides), one manca, ZMH K- 42688 (ZMH K- 42698 for dissected specimen), ANTXXII/ 3, PS 67 /074- 6 -E, 71 º 18.35 '– 71 º 18.28 ' S, 13 º 57.71 '– 13 º 57.31 ' W, depth 1030–1040 m, 20 Feb 2005; two mancas, ZMH K- 42689, ANTXXII/ 3, PS 67 /074- 6 -S, 71 º 18.35 '– 71 º 18.28 ' S, 13 º 57.71 '– 13 º 57.31 ' W, depth 1030–1040 m, 20 Feb 2005; one female, one male, BIO 4 -EBS- 3 D, 74 º 39.038 '– 74 º 39.535 ' S, 104 º 76.815 '– 104 º 75.903 ' W, depth 502–507 m, 0 7 Mar 2008; two females, one male, BIO 4 -EBS- 3 B, 74 º 40.122 '– 74 º 40.556 ' S, 104 º 61.957 '– 104 º 60.154 ' W, depth 495–516 m, 0 7 Mar 2008; two females, BIO-EBS- 3 A, 74 º 39.731 '– 74 º 40.109 ' S, 104 º 63.746 '– 104 º 62.019 ' W, depth 489–527 m, 0 7 Mar 2008.
Diagnosis: labium without medial process; dactylus of chela robust (2.7 times as long as wide); pereopod 1 propodus with spiniform seta distoventrally; uropod endopod with two articles, uropod basis projection well developed and as long as first article of endopod.
Description of male. Body (Figs 1 A, B) 3.4 mm long, 8.4 times as long as wide.
Carapace 20 % of total body length, 1.2 times as long as wide.
Pereonites. All pereonites, except pereonite 5, with hyposphaenium. Pereonite 1 trapezoidal, as long as pereonite 6; pereonites 2–5 equal in length, 1.2 times as long as pereonite 1. Pleon 20 % of total body length; each pleonite with simple seta on lateral margin, last pleonite with pair of setae dorsally; pleotelson as long as last two pleonites, with two setae ventrally at uropod insertion, two setae on distal margin and two setae on apex.
Antennule (Fig. 1 E): 4 -articled, 0.9 times as long as carapace; article 1 twice as long as article 2, with one simple and one bipinnate seta on outer margin and two bipinnate setae distally on outer margin; article 2 with one simple seta distally and one simple and three bipinnate setae distally on outer margin; article 3 half as long as article 2, with two simple setae distally; article 4 almost three times as long as article 3, with five bipinnate setae in middle and five simple (one short and four long) setae terminally.
Antenna (Fig. 1 F): 6 -articled. Article 2 with one simple distal seta and few minute spines on outer margin; article 3 as long as wide, with one simple seta distally; article 4 four times as long as article 3, with one simple and four bipinnate setae distally; article 5 half as long as article 4, with one simple, distal seta; article 6 about 0.3 times as long as article 5, with one seta subdistally and three setae terminally.
Cheliped (Fig. 1 H) sclerite posterior to basis and unfused ventromedially (Fig. 1 A’); basis 0.6 times as long as wide, trapezoidal, with dorsal seta; merus triangular, with ventral seta; carpus twice as long as basis, with one dorsal seta and two setae ventrally; propodus about as long as wide, with two short setae (one proximally and one near dactylus insertion); fixed finger as long as dactylus and unguis combined, with one ventral seta and three setae on inner margin; inner margin calcified, with tooth pointed forward; dactylus thick, twice as long as wide, with two short spines on inner margin; unguis 0.25 times as long as dactylus.
Pleopod (Fig. 1 I): basal article 0.9 times as long as rami, naked; rami subequal; exopod with one seta subdistally and six setae terminally; endopod with eight terminal setae.
Mouth parts, pereopods and uropods as in female (see Sieg 1986, pages 65–67).
Sexual dimorphism. The female differs from the male by lacking pleopods (Fig. 1 D), by having pleonites narrower than the rest part of the body and by having slender antennule with different proportions in articles (Fig. 1 G).
Distribution: The species is known from two localities in the Weddell Sea: at 75 ° 21.88 'S, 29 °22.00'W (type locality) and at Cape Norway in a depth range from 1030 to 1040 m (present study) as well as in the Amundsen Sea in a depth range from 489 to 527 m (present study) (Fig. 2).
Remarks: Paranarthrura fortispina is distinguished from the other members of the genus by the robust and well-calcified cheliped dactylus. Also the species has a two-articled endopod of the uropods and a relatively long uropodal projection that reaches the end of the proximal article of the endopod. There are five other described species with a similar uropod: P. bacescui Kudinova-Pasternak, 1986; P. crassa Bird & Holdich, 1989; P. insignis Hansen, 1913; P. lusitanus Bird & Holdich, 1989 and P. tenuimanus Larsen, 2005, but all of them have a relatively narrow cheliped dactylus. The other differences between those species and P. fortispina have been discussed by Bird and Holdich (1989: 146).